Bursar's office

The bursar’s office at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is responsible for billing and collection of all student charges as well as the receipt of any cash for the school. The bursar’s office coordinates with the financial aid office to apply financial aid to student accounts. All policies related to payment of tuition, refunds and student responsibility can be found by contacting the bursar. Individual meetings can be made by appointment by calling 570-504-9075.

Billing and collection

Students receive estimated bills approximately 30 days before the start of class. Full payment of all charges, less applicable financial aid, is due by the first day of class. Estimated bills and actual bills are available to students through the Empower student portal.

Geisinger Commonwealth does not accept credit card payments.

Payments can be made via cash or check either in person at the bursar’s office or by being mailed to the bursar at 525 Pine St., Scranton, PA 18509.

Geisinger Commonwealth reserves the right to cancel the registration of a student with an unmet financial obligation that results for any reason. Furthermore, Geisinger Commonwealth reserves the right to withhold a diploma, transcript, letters of recommendation or other official documents for a student with an outstanding financial obligation to the school.

Student refunds – credit balances

If a credit balance occurs on a student’s account after billed tuition and fees are fully paid, the resulting credit balance will be refunded to the student so the funds may be used for other cost of attendance expenses. Refunds of credit balances are made within 14 days after a credit balance occurs. Students will be responsible for the immediate payment of any charges that are added to his or her student account after a refund occurs. Refunds related to withdrawal, dismissal or leaves of absence are addressed under the Geisinger Commonwealth Refund Policy. Please note that financial aid will not be posted to student accounts until the first day of class for students.

Direct deposits are available to students to allow for faster receipt of funds. Contact bursar@som.geisinger.edu for a direct deposit form and further information.

Tuition refunds

This cancellation policy applies to students who choose to withdraw, take a leave of absence or are dismissed for any reason. In order for a student to be eligible for any cancellation or refund, the student must submit his or her notice of withdrawal, in writing or orally, to the associate dean for Student Affairs for MD students or the assistant dean for Graduate Academic Affairs for graduate students. Written requests are preferred. However, if a student makes a verbal request, the request will be converted to writing by the person making the request or a GCSOM staff member and then reviewed and signed by the person making the request. The date of the receipt of this notice determines the official date of withdrawal. Exceptions to this policy will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the associate dean for Student Affairs, VP for Finance & Administration/CFO and associate dean for Admissions, Enrollment Management and Financial Aid.

Refunds will be made according to the following for all MD students:

Date of withdrawal *Cancellation percentage

On or before the first day of classes 100%

Up to the end of the second week of classes 75%

Up to the end of the fourth week of classes 50%

Up to the end of the sixth week of classes 25%

After the end of the sixth week of classes 0%

Refunds will be made according to the following for all Graduate School students:

For full Fall and Spring terms:

Before the first day of classes to and including the fifth calendar day of the term 100%

Through and including the twelfth calendar day of the term 75%

Through and including the nineteenth calendar day of the term 50%

Through and including the twenty-sixth calendar day of the term 25%

Beyond the twenty-sixth calendar day of the term 0%

Condensed sessions (8 weeks):

Before the first day of classes to and including the first five days of the term 100%

Through and including the tenth calendar day of the term 50%

Beyond the tenth day of the term 0%

* Cancellation percentage refers to the percentage of a semester's tuition charges that will be cancelled upon withdrawal.

Ordinarily, fees are non‐refundable, except for the Technology Fee, the Student Health Insurance Fee and the Disability Insurance Fee, under certain conditions. The Student Health Insurance Fee may be prorated as described in the Student Health Insurance Policy. The Disability Insurance Fee is refundable for withdrawals that occur before the first day of classes. Any changes to this refund policy will be reflected on the Bursar’s page of the student portal.

If a student going on a leave of absence (LOA) wishes to maintain their technology package, they will be charged half of the current technology fee per term of leave. The student is financially responsible for any outstanding funds to the institution and these must be paid at the time of the start of the leave.

For purposes of this policy, one week equals five class days. The first day of classes for the Fall and Spring terms is the date published in the college Student Bulletin.

The student invoices for each semester will be available approximately 30 days before the first day of classes for the semester on Empower Web. These are located by clicking the financials tab and the Estimated Tuition Worksheet. Payment in full, less applicable financial aid will be due prior to the first day of class for each term. Instructions for payment are located under the Bursar section of the student portal.

The death of a student shall cancel charges for tuition as of the date of death and the tuition will be adjusted on a pro rata basis.

The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 require that when a recipient of Title IV grant or loan assistance withdraws from an institution during a payment period or period of enrollment in which the recipient began attendance, the institution must determine the amount of Title IV grant or loan assistance that the student earned as of the student's withdrawal date. A refund according to the college policy may be due to the student, but for students who are recipients of federal Title IV funds, the money may, based upon date of withdrawal, be returned to the aid program from which the funds were disbursed. Students are encouraged to contact the GCSOM Financial Aid Office for additional Information or if they have questions regarding this policy. Refunds will be processed and sent to the student within fourteen days after notification to GCSOM of withdrawal.

All refund policies, return of Title IV funds policy and the procedures students must follow to officially withdraw from the college can be found on the GCSOM website and portal.

Federal regulations concerning privacy & confidentiality

Due to very strict Federal regulations concerning privacy and confidentiality, the Bursar's Office will not be able to discuss or release information regarding a student's account without the student's written approval. This includes phone calls related to the payment of bills. Students who desire to have the Bursar's Office discuss their bills with appropriate people (such as parents, who wish to make payments, spouses, etc.), should visit the office and complete a FERPA permission form giving the Bursar's Office this permission. This form will also be available through the GCSOM portal.